Dear Brethren and Friends,
At our weekly Executive Luncheon today, the discussion turned to the unusual unity and warmth displayed in nearly all of our Feast sites around the world. A number of our ministers commented on this; two or three of them mentioning how surprised some of our newer members were—especially those who have just come with us from other Church of God fellowships. These people mentioned that it was remarkable to them that we had such unity and warmth and such a degree of peace and affection for one another during the Feast.
This was very encouraging to all of us. Having been in the full-time ministry for more than 62 years, I have an unusual perspective on the degree of loyalty and unity of the ministry during that time, which I feel would be helpful to share with all of you.
Brethren, in the earliest days of Herbert W. Armstrong’s ministry, he tried to work with other ministers in a loving way. However, as Mr. Armstrong relates in his autobiography (Vol. 1, p. 555–558), most of the ministers he tried to work with turned out to be a disaster. For they often attempted to undermine him and gain followers for themselves, and in other ways often caused division among the people they were supposedly helping Mr. Armstrong work with. So, after many years of this, Mr. Armstrong realized that it was best for him to start a college and train ministers in the proper way so that there would be a degree of unity in the ministry serving Christ’s people. Overall, this worked out pretty well, as I can surely affirm, as one who worked with the ministry directly for many years.
Nevertheless, I can honestly—before our God—tell you that the degree of unity and loyalty among our Living Church of God ministers today exceeds anything I have ever experienced since the very earliest days when only Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong were in charge of the Work and they were sort of “father and mother” figures to many of us young students.
I thank God regularly for the remarkable loyalty, kindness and responsiveness of such men in our ministry as Richard Ames, Douglas Winnail, Gerald Weston, Dexter Wakefield, Rod McNair, Bob League, Mario Hernandez, Wyatt Ciesielka and many, many, many others. Throughout this ministry, there has developed a great deal of love, warmth, loyalty and mutual cooperation. That is certainly something to thank God for—which we should all do.
As many of you know, I have already appointed Mr. Richard Ames as my successor to take over the post of Presiding Evangelist and President of this Church in case I should die or be forced to retire for health reasons or any other way. With more than 49 years as an ordained minister of Jesus Christ, and as perhaps the very last evangelist ordained by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, Mr. Ames has proved himself in both the Worldwide Church of God and now the Living Church of God to be a constant example of faithfulness, stability and loyalty to the Word of God. He will give me suggestions and even criticisms when he feels that he should. Nevertheless, he always tries to be loyal and support the government of God—looking to Jesus Christ to be “in charge” in the end.
The same is true of Dr. Douglas Winnail, Mr. Gerald Weston and the other men that I have mentioned. All of us try to “submit ourselves to one another” in the fear of God. We all realize that no one is perfect. And we all realize—in the end—any job or position we attain to in this life is absolutely nothing compared to the awesome responsibilities we will soon be given over the world—and perhaps the entire universe—later on in the very Kingdom or Family of God. Therefore, there is no “grasping for power” as is so common in so many other Church of God organizations.
One reason for this remarkable attitude is the fact that most of the leading ministers who have come with us in this Work have had a great deal of experience. They have been in the ministry for decades. No one is going to mislead them or make them “upset” at me with various stories, lies or deceptions about something that I perhaps did or did not do 40 or 50 years ago. They are willing to look at the “fruits” of my ministry since this present Work began about 22 years ago. And they are willing to “forgive” each other, forgive me, and forgive the brethren and serve them as bondslaves of Jesus Christ. For they have been around a long time.
Also, many of us are physically “older.” Our drives and passions of youth have long since dissipated, so we are able to concentrate on the really important things of God!
It has always been encouraging to me that far more “leading” ministers came with us as we started the Global and now Living Church of God than went with any other organization. For, almost from the beginning, we had men such as Dibar Apartian, Carl McNair, John Ogwyn, Karl Beyersdorfer, Sydney Hegvold, Lynn Torrance, Ben Whitfield and many, many others who had “been around” in the ministry or the Work for literally decades. These men knew me and knew what they were doing. So it is much harder to “shake” them away from what they know is the Truth and what they know about the Work of God and its leadership. All of them believe in the correct form of government described clearly in the Bible. Not just “government from the top down.” But, as I have emphasized dozens of times over the years, the approach of servant leadership in how we administer that government. I am sure all of you older brethren can see that in our ministry.
In some other groups, sadly, we find that the leading minister or ministers become “little dictators.” They are very sensitive, easily upset and “demand” obedience and loyalty in unusual ways. Some are so fearful of losing their power that they will literally disfellowship their own members for even visiting or eating with members of their own family who happen to be with a different Church of God organization! Many of you know that, and most of you know that we—in this Work—are definitely not like that. So I hope all of us can appreciate how the Spirit of God is moving us toward “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
Earlier in this same chapter, the Apostle Paul states, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:1–6). We certainly are instructed throughout the Bible to be endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And we are to understand and practice the correct government of God and recognize that Christ did give certain offices such as “apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers” (v. 11). Some Church of God organizations have gone so far in the other direction that they do not even recognize these offices. Yet, when we understand Christ’s command to live by every word of God, it is absolutely vital that we do have these offices in Christ’s ministry, respect them and yet understand that they are offices of service—not to be used by “little dictators” just trying to show off their power by putting down others.
Following the correct approach, we in the Living Church of God have experienced a degree of unity and loyalty that is remarkable—as I have stated—for which I thank God almost daily. I pray fervently that—if anything happens to me—this unity and loyalty will continue to the very end. So I call on all of you brethren to pray fervently that God will continue to bless us with that kind of unity in the Church and the Work of the Living Church of God. We have an absolutely wonderful opportunity to reach out to this whole world—at this time with increasing power and the Spirit of God. We all need to constantly ask God to inspire and empower us as never before that we can have a genuine impact on this very mixed up and sick world while there is still the opportunity. As Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). As all of you dear brethren who watch world news can attest, it is obvious that the “night is coming” when all of us who are truly doing God’s Work and teaching His Truth will be persecuted and perhaps made unable to do the Work at that time. So we want to do all that we can while we are here. Every one of us wants to be part of the “team” Jesus Christ is using today to do His Work.
We need to realize that—as Almighty God looks down from heaven—He is carefully watching how each one of us responds. Are we trying to exalt ourselves? Are we just looking for personal power and prestige? Are we “taking it easy” and laying up too much wealth on earth instead of serving others with our time, our treasure and our strength? Each of us needs to think through and meditate on these questions and be sure that we are truly humbling ourselves and seeking God and serving God in the right attitude. For, if anyone of us is too “quick on the trigger” to leave God’s Church, to cause division or in any other way to upset and hinder the Work of God, we must ponder the fact that “Christ is watching.” Dear brethren, each one of us must be sure that we never “play games” with ourselves or with God. For God’s inspired Word tells us, “The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth” (Psalm 33:13–14).
God does indeed “look down from heaven” and sees all that we are doing. He is preparing a group of dedicated men and women who truly “fear” Him in the sense that they have a profound awe and respect for God, for Jesus Christ as the living Head of the Church, and for the Government which He has already put in place. For how we respect God’s Government today indicates clearly to God how we will respond to His Government throughout all eternity! He can see by our actions now whether we would quickly turn aside later on—when we have tremendous power and eternal life as full sons of God. He will not give that kind of power to those who have not fully surrendered to Him and to His way—having the right attitude of love and genuine service toward God and toward fellow man.
Again, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You” (Psalm 33:18–22).
If we truly trust in God’s Holy Name, we will trust in Jesus Christ—as the living Head of the Church—to guide the Church, overall, and be sure that nothing untoward happens within His Church or within His Government of which He is the active Head. So let us all thank God fervently for the wonderful growth we have experienced in the Work of the Living Church of God these last few years. Let us thank God for the unusual degree of love and unity He has given us. And let us beseech God to keep us in that unity—and to move us forward to an even greater Work so that more and more people in this world may at least have a powerful “witness” that there is a real God working out a purpose here below and an understanding of what that purpose is.
Brethren, may God guide and bless all of you as you continue to walk with Him. Thank you, very much, for your part in the unity of the Church and the growth that has taken place in this Work in the last few years. Let us all strive to do our part to keep it up and grow in this as each year passes.
With Christian love,
